True Crime Books

This is a strong book that always keeps yo guessing and on the edge of your seat. I think that this author writes some nice pieces of written masterpiece! I will be buying more!

Many books have been written about Ted Bundy and none are better known that Ann Rule's "Stranger Beside Me". While the author of this book refuses to mention Rule by name, the story in this book is much the same. Michaud's book does however go a step further than Rule in "The Only Living Witness."

Thirty females died at the hands of Ted Bundy. The stories of the murders are told largely the same in any credible book about the subject. The interviews with Bundy set this book apart. The interesting part of the interviews is that Bundy refuses to admit guilt. However, Bundy does tell how he believes the killings happened through a third person account. In almost a bi-polar reality, Bundy does confess through these interviews. The author varies the chronological order of events early in the book, but stays on a straight course after the initial chapters. If you acquire a newer printing of the book, you will also be able to read about Bundy's final days and admission to his crimes in his own words, without disguise of a third person account.

There were aspects of this book that I like better than other books about Ted Bundy. Yet there was no part of this book that sets it out as the definitive Ted Bundy book. Still, it is a very well written and well researched book.

"The Only Living Witness" has been around for awhile. How could I not know? Yeah, I loved Ann Rule's "The Stranger Beside Me," and this is even more interesting! It is amazing to hear Bundy's own words - to get an insight into his mania - and to watch as he denies denies denies only to ultimately try to come clean in hopes of living a few more months. The Stephen G. Michaud writes wonderfully - a high priority for me. As a writer, he obviously isn't "talking down" to his reader. This is definitaly worth buying...going to check out his other books now!

Studying criminals and crime is one thing... Being exposed to the mind and life story of a serial sex murderer is entirely different. You may watch a horror movie and see the special effects of a person being chopped to pieces. You may also see an episode of a crime show depicting the horror of an innocent woman being kidnapped and raped. But the mental images a reader receives when reading about the horror Ted Bundy reaped across the United States in the 70s is astonishing and chilling. It is very easy to see why a nation was scared to leave their house, walk down a dark alley or wonder if their daughter made if home okay from the library at your local college. This book tells all of Ted Bundy's life from his childhood all the way to old sparky. The author writes this book after much in depth research, not to mention countless first hand interviews with the most notorious serial killer of all time himself. A must read for anyone curious about the deranged killer.

This is an excellent book, by a pair of thoughtful and talented authors with genuine first-hand knowledge of one of the most terrifying human beings ever to walk the planet. Their account of the life, crimes and psychopathology of Ted Bundy is certainly among the best of the many written. The only reason I gave this edition (the paperback) 4 stars instead of 5 is that it's full of annoying typos! There are mis-spellings, mis-prints and lapses in tense consistency which are really pretty ridiculous in this day and age. These are the type of thing that the most basic word-processing software picks up and they kind of jolt you out of the narrative and spoil your enjoyment from time to time. The publishers could simply have done a better job.

I loved reading and looking at the pictures in this book! I have a lot of books (and dust-catchers) so needed some ideas on placement. This book shows many different ideas in many different types of settings....living room/dining room/family room/study. It really gave me the courage to try some different things! Also, I saw some books I just MUST have.

D. Jones

I am completely satisfied with my purchase. It's the first time and I'll do it again.

For anyone trying to solve the problem of living with books, Ms. Hueston provides no help. She arranges books by size and color, for what she perceives as visual interest. One of her displays even uses trompe de l'oeil wallpaper to create the illusion of a library! Many of the rooms shown are in architects' houses, "seaside" homes and European castles. Most of the results are cluttered: every surface in every room (including surfaces created by stacks of books) is covered with vases, ceramics, sculptures, candles, flowerpots, fringed shawls and what she calls "cherished possessions." In addition, many of the bookshelves are encumbered with framed prints or hangings that hide the books. Unless you share her flamboyant taste (including an inordinate fondness for the color red) and have a budget to match, look elsewhere.

This book shows some stunning rooms beautifully decorated with books. For everyone who loves books and loves decorating it is full of inspiration and ideas.

I sent the book back to Amazon. Was disappointed in it. I expected it to be more about books and less about elegant rooms to put them in. A few books put on a chair or on a table or, obviously, in a bookcase really isn't that imaginative. A good magazine showing displays of collectibles including books does a better job as far as I'm concerned.

I finished reading this book in about a week and thought that it was not as bad as some of the reviews claim. The author does tend to ramble on at the begining of a few early chapters about the history of Milwaukee or Jeff's hometown, but it's not as bad as one might think. Buying this book along with 'Massacre in Milwaukee' is the best way to go, as both books contain detail that the other doesn't. And with the low price of both, you can't go wrong.

My review isn't going to be much different from the others.

I have become quite fond of true crime books, and this was the second that I have read. I knew very little about Dahmer before reading this book, and I found much of it to be very interesting.

Unfortunately, the author has prioritized quantity over quality. It seemed to be loaded with all of the bare bones of the crimes, but contains very little meat. It also seems he relied on geography and the history of the regions where Dahmer did his deeds as filler. Believe me, there's plenty of it. I could almost swear that entire paragraphs were duplicated throughout the book just to take up page space.

I'm not a great author myself, which is why I haven't made an attempt at getting paid for it. The fact of the matter is that most of the book could have been written using tourist brochures and local newspaper coverage of the crimes as the only resources.

This book gives great detail into the life of Jeffrey Dahmer's life and the sick crimes that he committed. The thing I did not care for in the book is that it would go off on history of a town or an area and continue for the entire chapter and it left you feeling what does the towns history have to do with Jeffrey and his killings?

If you know nothing about Jeffrey Dahmer and want to know which crimes he commited and how he did it, this is the book for you. But if you have read other books about him, don't bother.

The facts presented in this book are accurate, but it's such a shame that you don't get to know who Jeffrey Dahmer really was, nothing new about why he did it, his psychology. Okay, maybe nobody knew who he really was, but the author could have at least tried to give us something new.

Although I believe that Milwaukee is interesting doesn't mean that I want to know its complete history! It just went on and on! After a while you know more about Milwaukee and Bath than Jeffrey Dahmer ever did.

I guess that books like this one are written because of the fascination for serial killers. Although nothing new is said, the author knows that people will buy his book. And that's a shame.

This book starts out like it is going to be interestin and then after the first chapter it starts getting really boring. It tells the same thing over and over. First he takes home the boy and then drugs him and then cuts up the body. That is all it says everytime, it doesn't go into detail. The ending is really boring i could barley finish it. He gets caught durin the middle of the book and the rest is just trial crap that is really not intersting.

Digesting an entire story and reproducing it in three lines is an art form. To have had it your daily paper was a privilege denied to all of us. Feneon could make the most mundane news item into a fascinating gem. He could communicate angles with extraordinarily efficient use of words. He was the Al Hirschfeld of news. Like Hirschfeld, Feneon's news items are tinged with humor:

Brandy he thought. Actually it was carbolic acid.
Thus Philibert Faroux, of Noroy, Oise, outlived
his spree by a mere two hours.

If you read this book while imagining the nationwide roundup page in USA Today, you will mourn the death of creativity. Journalism today is so dry and careful, so politically correct, as to be completely disposable and avoidable. Try this item, one of series describing the ongoing battle to get crucifixes out of classrooms in 1906:

Two mayors in the Somme were determined
to restore to classroom walls the image
of divine torture. The prefect suspended
those mayors.

And let me leave you with one last gem that could also never appear in an American paper today:

The name of a man arrested in Blainville
as a spy: Tourdias. His age: 24. His
profession: traveling salesman of bandages
and medicine.

Truly a novel, an elevator pitch for a Hollywood thriller. Leaves you asking questions, like nothing in the papers today. And that's the whole point, isn't it? Leave them asking for more!

This book gave a real insight into all the bad things that were happening in France back in 1906. It was a list of all the three line items that the writer put into his newspaper to fill out the page. Some of them had some wry humor but most struck me with sadness because of the terrible crimes and accidents that occured. The brevity of the items intensified the emotion. I couldn't read too many pages at a time. This book is not for the squeamish. I recommend it because it gives a view of life back then.

A great book, opening up an aspect of modern literature that needs to be much more fully explored and understood. In his celebration of the quotidian, Feneon made it clear that the real world offers all that is needed to refresh one's vision. We could not have had Rauschednberg without Feneon, though I've no idea if he ever read this brilliant, modest book. Great introductory essay by Luc Sante makes this an even more important book for anyone trying to understand why so much modern art feels the way it does.

To anyone familiar w/Charles Mudede's Police Beat column at the Stranger (to those not, it's one of the most bohemianly sensible features of Seattle's free weekly of bohemian sensibility), Fénéon has got to be Mudede's inspiration. He has the blueprint for finding the sublime in the tawdry, for finding the severe brutal beauty of the kosmos in an episode of COPS.

In these grisly little bits, FF makes his claim for a spot on the pantheon of Grand Guignol, a storied company that includes Baudelaire & the great medieval master, Villon.

This is an extraordinary collection of short newspaper stories.

Félix Fénéon (June 22, 1861 - February 29, 1944) was a French anarchist and art critic in Paris during the late 1800s. Fénéon was the editor of "Revue Blanche", where he featured Achille-Claude Debussy as his music critic and André Gide as his book critic and published Marcel Proust, Apollinaire, and Alfred Jarry, as well as his own translation of Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey".

Here's an example of his reviewer's style, taken from a search on Google Books:

"The tones of M. Paul Gauguin's pictures are very little separated from each other; because of this, there is in his work adull harmony. Dense trees rise from the fertile soil, abundant and humid, invade the frame, pursue the sky. The air is heavy. Bricks seen between the trunks indicate a nearby house; things are lying about, muzzles are scattered in the thicket--cows. These reds of roofs and of cattle the artist constantly opposes to his greens and reflects them again in the waters, encumbered with long grasses, which run between the tree trunks."

After the "Revue Blanche" folded, Fénéon went to work as a journalist, first for the conservative "Le Figaro", then, starting in 1906, for the liberal broadsheet "Le Matin".

Taken together, the collection is a fascinating view of Paris, and an intriguing insight into Fénéon's mind.

Robert C. Ross 2008

This is a fun outsider's guide to espionage. The text is accessible enough for readers as young as early teens. Artwork complements the text nicely.

Good:
-Casual treatment of real espionage subject matter
-Writing is a very easy read
-Anecdotes and historic figures and incidents
-Direct quotes from spies and related personnel
-Material attempts to relate spy skills to everyday life, travel, etc.

Bad:
-Could have been a little more in-depth
-Some treatment of the subject was a little silly

Reading this book will not, obviously, prepare one for work as a spy. It does pull back the curtain on an interesting field and makes some of the techniques applicable to non-spy activities.

This book would make a good gift for anyone (from young teens to adults) having an interest in the subject, or perhaps as a light (!) introduction for those curious about what espionage or intelligence as a career might entail.

This is a brilliant, humorous and suscinct introduction to the ethos of spying. The spy is not a technologist nor a SWAT officer, but someone trained in "awareness" and able to approach discreetly her objective to get "intel". This book puts forward the essence of that spirit and the regular behaviour to be acquired, even if it precludes intentionally the sordid side. For that maybe you should read John Le Carre.

I use the concepts in this book every day. As a spy, it is imperative to remember the ideas presented in this book for recruiting, questioning, and handling agents and spying on others in general. And if you are not a spy, this book is great for assessing situations, acting on your instincts, and getting into the VIP section of that awesome restaurant so you won't be stuck in the rain waiting for that girl who stood you up.

I loved this book. It was entertaining and informative. The book is as smart as it is good looking. There isn't too much information, but the right amount to go on. Improving your spy skills improves your general life skills.

The book is enjoyable and takes a light-hearted approach, often playing on the average person's perception of spies. This means a lot of references to James Bond and gadgetry. However the real content of the book is based in some beginning human intelligence skills, like improving your memory, being more aware of your surroundings and danger, and profiling people and their temperments.

I found most useful the discussion on using the Myers-Briggs personality test as a basis for profiling people and trying to predict their behaviors. Also intriguing was the section on Dale Carnegie as a "master spymaster" because he understood how to influence people; a nice connection made by the author, going to the core of how espionage is mostly based on human interaction and not gadgetry.

While some of these basics were worthwhile, I was distracted and disappointed with the constant effort to loop everything back to James Bond. The book really assumes the reader knows nothing more about espionage than watching Bond films, and it tries to be funny by talking about using "that James Bond charm" or "Q's gadgets" to get out of sticky situations. The effort to lighten the mood was mishandled because as much as the author tries to be funny he is just not a comedy writer and his jokes are lame.

I would regard this book as light on content and more of an entertainment book. It does have a few basic tips that are insightful.

KEVIN AND HIS MOTHER ARE VERY SICK PEOPLE. THIS BOOK HAS ME LOOKING OVER MY SHOULDER AT NIGHT WHEN I AM OUT AND ABOUT. VERY GOOD READ!

Thank your for the speedy delivery of the book.

If you've ever wondered what reviewers mean when they use the phrase "true crime classic" this is the book that will explain it. Jack Olsen has written many fine true crime books and every well-read true crime fan has their favorites of his works, this Edgar Award winner is mine.

Frederick Harlan "Kevin" Coe is the son of a respected Spokane newspaper editor and his eccentric wife. The whole family is a little off in Olsen's telling, but batty in a way that reminded me of families I knew or knew of growing up. Maybe every town has a family with a flamboyant parent, one "perfect" child and one child that is "going to become someone important." Other people in town notice that the flamboyant parent's stories never quite add up and the child that is going to be something never seems to grow up but everyone is far too polite to actually say anything. Besides, it's no one's business, right? That's the Coe family - mother Ruth was the flamboyant one, telling people about her Southern belle background (she was from Washington State), Kevin's sister was the "perfect" one (she promptly high-tailed it out of Dodge as soon as she was old enough), and Kevin is always on the verge of something big, to hear him tell it, that is.

But Kevin never really grows up. He's forever reinventing himself, just like Mommy, to the point of rechristening himself "Kevin" and making up civic groups for himself to head up. Olsen makes it clear that Kevin Coe's twisted relationship with his mother Ruth fueled his rage against women. Ruth does a fine job of keeping Kevin tied to and dependent on her while complaining that he's, well, too dependent on her. Olsen shows all this but like the great reporter he was, he doesn't comment on it. He presents the facts and lets the reader draw the inevitable conclusions. For instance, he slowly catalogs the many nicknames Ruth and Kevin have for each other and those around them, showing how detached they are from their fellow humans, how utterly unable they are to interact with anyone else on a truthful emotional level.

What makes this true crime classic one of my favorites is encapsulated in its well-chosen subtitle: A Psychopath and His Victims. Olsen spends as much time and expends as much reporting effort understanding Coe's victims and the horrible toll of his crimes on them. He shows us these women living normal lives before, struggling with challenges like divorce and low self-esteem but still moving forward until Coe gets them in his sights. We come to know these women in a few short sentences and begin to understand the devastation Coe causes them.

This is a great book for any genre and a must read for true crime fans; and it's sadly as relevant today as it was 20 years ago.

This true story is a chilling reminder that we live in a world stranger than fiction. I could not put this book down. If you want to look into the world of the psychopath, this is the book for you.

SON is the type of book that you never forget. As you read, you keep thinking that surely it's fiction and remind yourself that there is a man, a real man alive today, that lived this nightmare. He endured unspeakable verbal abuse but, when he reached a point of no longer being able to "hang in there," he retaliated against his monster mother in the only way he knew how. If I sound sympathetic toward SON, I am up to a point. I am certainly sickened by his dreadful crimes, but he was a psychopath and he did all that he knew to do to block out the reality of his bizarre relationship with his parents. You can draw your own conclusion by reading this incredible book. When the book was made into a "made for tv movie" I didn't think any movie could do the book justice, but it did. The book became even more real after watching Dale Midhoff as SON and Elizabeth Montgomery as his insane mother. If you ever see it listed, don't miss it. All of Jack Olson's books are extremely well-written and always fascinating, but SON is the best.

It could have been better, but maybe the author has no knowledge of the massive KGB infiltration of the CIA that was exposed in 1984.

This book is exceptionally well-written, and well-organized. Bagley's argument is very persuasive. Tim Weiner's Legacy of Ashes covers Nosenko in a couple of non descript passages.

I refer the reader to the other reviews for more background, as I will focus only on a few points. In general, I enjoyed the book, and learned much about the history of KGB in all its guises, and much about counter-intelligence tradecraft. On the other hand, Mr. Bagley doesn't reveal much about CIA, but I wouldn't expect him to. What he does reveal towards the end of the book should not come as a surprise to anyone following the news lately. I grew to admire the 80+ year-old "Pete" Bagley, even as I was questioning some of his claims and his motivation for writing this book. In the end, and after some additional research, I came to question his detractors more than I did him.

His primary motivation would seem to be setting the record straight about Yuri Nosenko. I see no reason to doubt the detailed narrative that reveals the inconsistencies in Nosenko's statements. I suspected Nosenko was a phony right from his first walk-in, even before Mr. Bagley voiced his doubts. By the end of the book, I was thoroughly convinced.

As Mr. Bagley points out, even the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) report stated "flatly" that Nosenko was lying; this despite the fact that Nosenko testified that the KGB was not involved in President Kennedy's assassination, a view that the committee would have welcomed. Nosenko must have been a pretty bad witness, indeed.

I looked at the HSCA report for myself, which the reader can easily do by searching the on-line US government archive file. I found some information that Mr. Bagley didn't mention in regard to the HSCA and Nosenko. There are two references to Nosenko, one on p. 101, the other on p. 255. Yes, they did say that they couldn't buy Nosenko's testimony, but they said more, too. In effect, they blamed his poor testimony on the "hostile interrogation" and "solitary confinement" that he received while in CIA custody! CIA had obviously been very successful in their propaganda campaign to convert Nosenko into a valuable CIA asset in every sense of the word, and to smear Bagley and his colleagues who had interrogated Nosenko.

I am quite prepared to believe the worst about intelligence agencies, in particular, how they handle people in their custody, but I find myself taking Mr. Bagley's side in this story. In the chapter entitled "Crunch Time", the author provides the rationale for questioning Nosenko as long and hard as they did. It may not have made any difference in the end, and what is worse, by holding Nosenko for as long as they did, Bagley and Co. only made it easier for their later detractors to smear him and build Nosenko's legend.

The final chapters present a very gloomy picture of CIA. As with other reports we've heard about CIA, the FBI and other intel agencies, it's impossible for outsiders to know where the incompetence, inertia and careerism stops and possible subversion from within and without begins. However, Mr. Bagley's lamentations should be viewed as constructive criticism from a loyal (former) agent, and not as the kind of criticism I think CIA deserves.

Mr. Bagley reveals himself to be one of the people, now said to form only 10 - 15% of the American public, who still subscribe to the government myth surrounding President Kennedy's assassination. He describes Oswald as the assassin, not as the accused assassin, and refers to the Warren Commission as though it were an investigative body, not the coverup cabal it was. Mr. Bagley wrote that the primary reason the USSR dispatched Nosenko to the US in 1964 was probably the USSR's urgent need to deny any part in the conspiracy to assassinate JFK.

The other side of that coin that goes unexamined in this book is the US's need to promote the "lone nut" assassin theory. Mr. Bagley mentions "back channel" messages that circulated between the two superpowers, but that something more overt than diplomatic chit-chat was required. Declaring Nosenko not only legitimate but valuable worked very well for both countries. This episode reminded me of a "walk-in" (really a "fly-in") that occurred only 23 years before Nosenko's - that of Rudolf Hess's arrival in Scotland. Whatever truly lay behind Hess's actions, the common declaration that Hess was a "lone nut" suited both Britain and Germany. Britain had some of their own Fascists (including Royals) they wanted to keep under wraps, and once Hess's flight became public knowledge, Hitler certainly wanted to deny any responsibility.

The USSR's claims that they had nothing to do with the JFK assassination are most likely true. They were simply afraid that the US might use Oswald's Russian sojourn and professed Communist sympathies as excuses to heat up the Cold War. Anyway, there were already plenty of home-grown assassination conspirators who needed no help from the USSR.

What would have been a five star book for me gets two stars removed for needlessly perpetuating the Oswald myth and missing some obvious conclusions by doing so.

The author did spend some reasonable text of the "Spy Wars" however the majority of the text dealt with the very controversial "Nosenko Defector Affair" and the equally controversial CIA Counter Intel chief Jim Angleton. It was clear that Angleton was one of several CIA officers "addicted" to drink. Alcohol addiction is a by product of the attache circuit and several CIA and DoD officers have fallen to it. However the DoD response is treatment or dismissal while the more collegiate atmosphere at CIA is to ignore it and hope it goes away.

I believe the author should have spent more effort on the "Spy Wars" and less on the intramural issues at CIA. Or alternatively title the book "The Nosenko Affair".

While this book is likely not written for the general public , in my opinion it is one of the most important books written in the past few years. I also am a former intelligence officer . I had a number of dealings with James Angleton during my 20 plus years of service. The numermous allegations that Angleton was paranoid constituted total nonsense. The fact that Pete Bagley and Jim Angleton who served the the people of america so honorably were so denigrated not only by the media but in some cases by their former collegues is shameful . The facts that Mr. Bagley has documented in this book should , in my opinion , be the basis for a blue ribbon commission to ascertain the true state of affairs. The American public and for that matter the world public needs to know more about assassination as a tool of statecraft as practiced by the Soviet Union's KGB .

I stumbled across this book in the library and am so glad I picked it up. Having never heard of Roland Molineux before (and not knowing much about Yellow Journalism), I had no idea what to expect, but I was not disappointed. This is a story of greed, lust, and exploitation, all disguised under a prim Victorian facade. Chapters are short and to the point, and make for much page-turning suspense. I wish the author had been able to include more than two photographs of the people spoken of in the books, or even more images of the New York papers with their sensational headlines, as I feel that it would have added to the experience. That is but a small quibble, though; this book is a wonderful true-crime story, and it was fascinating to see how today's explosive media saturation began.

Thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Schecter's book from cover to cover. Purchased after reading a review, possibly in the New York Times Book Review. Book might have benefited from a more compelling jacket image. I would not have picked this book up had I not read the review. Also kept wanting to see more pictures of the characters but I realize that availability of archival images may have played a part. Great story, well told.

I accidentally came across this book at the library. It is a fascinating look at one of the most famous murder trials of the early 20th century, extremely well-written and involving. Even those who do not like "that sort of book" will enjoy this one. The people involved are brought to life by the author's talents, and the research behind the book is thorough and definitive. Absorbing and informative.

Over the past two decades, Harold Schechter has resurrected the stories of many prominent moral monsters from America's past, corrected the numerous myths that have grown up around them, replaced those myths with more fascinating facts, and then related them in compelling narratives that are also scholarly, sensitive, and keenly written.

In resurrecting the crazy story of crazy Roland Molineux and his bizarre journey into murder and in and out of justice, Schechter has written his masterpiece. No question, hands down.

A classic of true crime, and of biography and history. It will be around for many decades to come.

The book provides and excellent description of Victorian life and the Victorian mindset, but I was unable to shake the mind-boggling Victorian habit of actually TAKING some unidentified medicine that someone you don't know sent you in the mail. Schechter explores a world of pomp and priviledge, obsessed with the surface appearance of propriety, but secretly seething with sexual scandals and murderous grudges. This trial marked the beginning of the media circus that subsequent murder trials from Lizzie Borden to OJ Simpson would become, as the outwardly respectable defendent's sordid affairs and violent, cold-blooded nature was dug up by the police and media as much to shock and titillate the public as to achieve justice.

This book was great. It went through the whole story and didn't leave anything out. The ending was great although I got really mad at the girl for staying with him. I don't want to give too much away about the ending. It's amazing that this could happen in such a small town as Napa but it did! I live close by but at the time this occured I was living in Florida and didn't hear anything about it. It was recommended by a co-worker and I have passed this one on for many friends to read. If you like true crime then this is a great book!

This book gave me a glimpse into a hell that i cannot fathom.

This was an amazing book not just from the criminal aspect of it, but from a psychological aspect as well. The story of this tortured women is unlike anything i have ever heard, but it is told in a factual way, without sensationalism, like some true crime books. THe bare facts are the most horrifying things i have ever read, i cannot imagine this being done to someone, and more importantly, i was amazed at how the victim went through it without losing her faith in humanity or going insane. i think i would have.

I wouldn't look at this as just another "true crime" book. It is also an amazing treatise on psychology and stockholm syndrome. I understand now how much some minds can take and the reasons behind it's bizarre sounding (but really ingenious) coping mechanisms. Reading this will teach you much about the human mind, some that will scare the crap out of you. It also has well researched footnotes about other similar cases and gives a glimpse into the legal system.

Most importantly, this book shows how resilient and amazing the victim is. After knowing what the victim endured, i was amazed by her strength and by the fact that she did not seem as psychologically and physically damaged as i know i would be. Although this is probably the most horrific thing i have heard of happening to a person, she remains human (by that i mean kind and loving and dignified) and gentle in every sense. Truly an must read

off topic a bit, but my only concern was if the victim got any of the money made from the book (it was written by the D.A. who was her attorney). She seemed to not want the case well known (from what i read, she may have changed her mind) and it would be upsetting if she didn't want the book written, or didn't get her share share of payment. I hope she was not exploited YET AGAIN.

The story is an exceptionally powerful story. Colleen Stan gets five stars for that. However--most people may not know that this is not only an unauthorized story, Prosecuting Attorney Christine McGuire did not share ANY of the profits from this book with the victim, Colleen Stan. "Don't talk to the media; don't make any book deals," McGuire warned Stan prior to and during the trial. Why? Of course McGuire told Stan it was so the Defense couldn't say that's why they wanted a "win." The real reason was that McGuire had already made a deal; her college friend and the co-author attended court daily, took notes. When the verdict came in, the ending was written. Is it even legal for a government employee to make money like this--using information gained while doing her job for private profit? Colleen Stan was victimized by Hooker--but she was also victimized by the person that was supposed to protect her--the prosecuting attorney. When Stan sought relief against McGuire, the State Bar Association said that only one person had complained. (A person held hostage for that many years isn't likely to have a huge group of friends. It takes time to get back into life.) When Stan went to an LA law firm, they wanted $250,000 to represent Stan. She didn't have that kind of money after seven years locked in a box! Publishers have an army of attorneys waiting to defend against cases like this. McGuire--do the right thing. You own Stan an apology and fifty percent of the profits. What the Prosecuting Attorney McGuire did is as outrageous as what Cameron Hooker and his wife did. They were sick and criminals. McGuire is supposed to be a good guy. That year, she forgot to wear her white hat.

When I was browsing through the True Crime section at my local bookstore, I asked my sister to help me narrow down my choices: a Jeffrey Dahmer piece, the BTK Killer book, or one about a girl kept in a coffin beneath a couple's bed for over 7 years. She immediately recommended the latter.

And she was right--to a point. The subject is disturbingly fascinating for a True Crime novel about a victim who isn't murdered. How could they keep this young woman so carefully hidden away for so long? It seems outlandish, but the more you uncover, the more you realize that it IS feasible, and it's absolutely horrifying to imagine what Colleen Stan went through.

But the book is written by the DA who prosecuted her captor, and it shows.

We learned virtually nothing about what makes Cameron Hooker tick. Almost nothing is revealed about Colleen's past. And Janice Hooker, the most in-depth study, is more an accomplice/side victim than anything else.

But we learned all about the DA's marital problems, the vacation to reconcile her marriage, the eventual divorce, how cute her daughter is, how much she loves children, and virtually her every reaction to minute things--when all those small details should have been put into Colleen's story.

I could have enjoyed this so much more, but honestly--why should I care about the DA's personal problems? I read this book to learn about the crime, the victim, the captor, the associates. I didn't read it to hear about the author's personal issues throughout the trial.

Snip out those details, and this book would have gotten 1.5 stars more, if I could.

I had serious problems with this book as I read it. In the big picture, I found it poorly written and exploitive in nature. The story of Colleen Stan is interesting, however author/prosecutor Christine McGuire's decision to center the book with her personal life and largely overlook the criminal seems ego-centric and opportunistic.

The earlier pages of the book describe the ordeal and torture of Colleen Stan. The descriptions are ragged and hard to follow. Most people do not know what the described torture devices look like, because the do not use them. In this circumstance, pictures certainly would have been helpful. Even when pictures such as the "head box" are given, it only gives a rough idea of how the contraption is used.

I have a serious problem with authors who interject themselves into somebody else's tragedy. In this case, McGuire and her marital problems become a major subplot in somebody else's story. Rest assured, few people buy a true crime book to read about the author's marital problems. Eliminating these passages would have certainly made the story flow more naturally.

Lastly, the review is titled based on a phrase on page 181. Make no mistake about it, the story of Colleen Stan is a tragedy. Yet by the author's own admission, the victim was naive and the story becomes hard to believe. At some point, most readers must ask why she did not try to leave or escape. An adult with average intelligence should not fall for the hijinx that Colleen Stan did. This wears on the sympathy the reader can give to her. But if this makes the reader feel jaded, it pales in comparison to forgetting the victim in a true crime book.